Given the somber mood surrounding all things politics and money in Europe, particularly Greece, this installation street art, fittingly titled “Crisis”, is especially relevant. Conceived and created by Madrid-based artist SpY, and installed in a central neighborhood in the city of Bilbao, the piece consists of 1000€ (almost $2,000) in 2 cent coins making up the word “CRISIS” on an outdoor wall. Not totally surprising, passersby helped themselves to the money, and all the coins disappeared in less than 24 hours. In some ways, that feels like blatant defacing of public art, but in other ways, that was likely expected and part of the point to begin with. SpY seems very much in touch with the political climate around him, and we love his out-of-the-box creativity. There’s good reason he’s been making such relevant urban art since the mid-eighties. In his own words, his work “involves the appropriation of urban elements through transformation or replication, commentary on urban reality, and the interference in its communicative codes…. a parenthesis in the automated inertia of the urban dweller. They are pinches of intention, hidden in a corner for whoever wants to let himself be surprised. Filled with equal parts of irony and positive humor, they appear to raise a smile, incite reflection, and to favor an enlightened conscience.”

London-based creative agency Firedog really hit the mark with this gorgeous campaign. Tasked with creating a campaign for the classical music season at the world-class arts institution (and largest performing arts center in Europe), The Barbican, Firedog took an emotional approach. The centerpiece of the campaign is stunning composite imagery meant to convey the moving experience of attending a classical music concert at the venue. The skillful execution of these complex portraits is quite remarkable. “We came up with the ‘Dreamscape’, a series of landscapes reflecting the intensely diverse imaginative and emotive reactions upon listening to classical music at The Barbican. The Dreamscape encompasses the notion that when we listen to music, our imagination continually flits from one image to the next; the emotions evoked are equally disparate.”